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January 21, 2025
The Independent Voice in Asia
January 21, 2025
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Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible during the 60th presidential inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Trump pledges to save U.S. from 'decline,' vowing new 'golden age'
Trump quickly signed a series of executive actions to curb immigration and roll back environmental regulations, but did not take immediate action to raise tariffs.

More coverage

As Trump returns, will Japan be able to weather the storm?
Japanese firms weigh fallout from Trump tariff pledges
Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible during the 60th presidential inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Monday.
Yoshiteru Murosaki, professor emeritus of disaster prevention planning at Kobe University, says poor environments at evacuation centers following disasters remain a concern.
JAPAN
Expert calls for more discussions on earthquake preparedness
The expert mentioned poor environments at evacuation centers as one of the problems persisting since the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995.
Fuji TV President Koichi Minato speaks at a news conference on Friday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Media
What went wrong at Fuji TV's news conference on allegations against Nakai?
By Karin Kaneko and Yukana Inoue
The broadcaster, which imposed various restrictions for the event that included denying access to many media agencies, ended up worsening the scandal.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito in November in Kobe. Hideaki Takeuchi, a former Hyogo assemblyman who had taken part in investigations over workplace bullying allegations against Saito last year, died Saturday in an apparent suicide.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Former Hyogo assemblyman found dead in apparent suicide
By Francis Tang
Hideaki Takeuchi, 50, had taken part in investigations over workplace bullying allegations made against Gov. Motohiko Saito last year.
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump in Tokyo march ahead of the inauguration of then President-elect Joe Biden on Jan 20, 2021.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Japan has nothing to fear from Trump — except in maybe one area
Edo Naito
Japan is far better positioned in the areas most important to Trump than many other countries. If Shinzo Abe were still alive, Japan would be in a great place.
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump in Tokyo march ahead of the inauguration of then President-elect Joe Biden on Jan 20, 2021.

JAPAN

Experts in Japan emphasize the importance of supplementing the new legal framework with expanded opportunities for drug education targeted at young people.
Many in Japan advocate for drug education to combat cannabis abuse
More than 80% of cannabis-related cases detected in Osaka in 2023 involved people in their 20s or younger, according to the Osaka prefectural police department.
Akan Mashu National Park in Hokkkaido on Dec. 18. A rising number of Hokkaido towns and villages are discussing the introduction of a local accommodation tax for tourists.
Hokkaido areas examine benefits of taxing tourists
By Eric Johnston
Niseko plans to use accommodation tax revenue to strengthen transportation services and increase the number of tourism-related officials.
Japan to have more part-timers join employee pension program
Nippon Foundation to fund Scottish study of deep-sea 'dark oxygen'
Japan to disclose names of malicious AI businesses
Man who lived with many women dies before ruling on sexual assault

BUSINESS

Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani says the company sees an opportunity in Japan, which has been a laggard in the adoption of digital and AI-powered technologies.
Rakuten founder defends costly mobile foray with big AI bet
By Shery Ahn and Min Jeong Lee
Rakuten Mobile and its 8 million-plus users help train an AI poised to expand the conglomerate’s business, according to billionaire founder Hiroshi Mikitani.
Amid severe labor shortages, the Japan Federation of Service and Tourism Industries Workers' Unions will emphasize the importance of improving working conditions to realize a medium-term annual salary target of ¥5.5 million for industry workers age 35.
Service and tourism workers to seek 6% pay hike in wage talks
The Japan Federation of Service and Tourism Industries Workers' Unions hopes to secure a medium-term annual salary target of ¥5.5 million for industry workers age 35.
Japan's national wealth hits record ¥4,158 trillion at end of 2023
Listed Japanese firms' share buybacks hit record in 2024
In the U.S., remote workers don't want to head back to the office
By Julie JAMMOT
Japan's core machinery orders up 3.4% in November

WORLD

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during a news conference in Mexico City on Jan. 13.
How Mexico is readying for Trump’s promised mass deportations
By Alex Vasquez
The country has launched a panic app for those detained and lined up more than 2,600 lawyers and nearly 2,200 consulate workers.
Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Majed Al-Ansari, looks at a paper as he speaks after Qatar helped mediate a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, in Doha on Monday.
Mediators on standby for obstacles as Gaza ceasefire starts
By Andrew Mills and Ahmed Mohamed Hassan
"These kinds of deals are never easy to maintain," said a spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry, which helped broker the ceasefire.
The global treaties that live on without the U.S.
By Luca MATTEUCCI
'Extremely critical' risk as winds whip fire-weary Los Angeles
By Huw Griffith
Magnitude 6.0 earthquake shakes Taiwan, U.S. Geological Survey says
By Akio Wang
Saudi Arabia ready to fill power void left by Iran in region reshaped by war
By Sam Dagher and Fiona MacDonald

Sports

Former Seattle Mariners player Ichiro Suzuki during spring training workouts in Peoria, Arizona, in March 2022
Ichiro could be unanimous pick in Baseball Hall of Fame voting
Suzuki will likely become the first Hall of Famer born in Japan and may become the first position player to earn unanimous election.
'Emotional' Badosa stuns Gauff to reach Australian Open semifinals
Revitalised Manchester City confident for PSG 'final': Guardiola
By Steven Griffiths
Unrivaled could teach the NBA how to win back its fans
By Adam Minter
Djokovic and Alcaraz square up in Australian Open blockbuster
By Daniel HICKS

Opinion

Then-U.S. President Donald Trump and other Asian leaders pose for a family photo during a the ASEAN-U.S. 40th Anniversary Summit in Manila in November 2017. The U.S. president-elect’s Cabinet secretary level and other picks for his second term point to a tougher China policy.
What Trump’s appointments tell us about his Asia policy
Joshua Kurlantzick
Donald Trump’s second term as president appears set to intensify efforts to curb China’s influence while maintaining crucial alliances in Asia.
Why would Trump buy Greenland when he can rent it?
By Liam Denning
A moment of opportunity for Japan-China relations
Gaza ceasefire deal is a win for Trump
By Marc Champion
Elon Musk won’t save TikTok
By Catherine Thorbecke

ENVIRONMENT

Wawira Njiru, the founder of Food4Education, serves food during the opening of a new kitchen in Mombasa County, Kenya, in 2022. The organization started in 2012 by feeding 25 children out of a single kitchen. Now it feeds nearly half a million every day.
Amid rising world hunger, a Japan-inspired group in Kenya is making a big impact
By Joel Tansey
Food4Education is helping feed half a million students through a program that drew inspiration from Japan's renowned school lunch programs.
Trump withdraws from Paris climate agreement — again
Europe threatens to trigger a global scramble for natural gas
By Anna Shiryaevskaya, Priscila Azevedo Rocha, Stephen Stapczynski and Ruth Liao
In Brazil, an Amazon reforestation project seeks to redeem carbon markets
By Anna PELEGRI
The 'climate archive': How scientists study the ancient past
By Benjamin Legendre

CULTURE

Eugene Kangawa's Atelier iii is a space where visitors are invited to engage directly with the artist’s evolving practice.
Eugene Kangawa’s art space embraces impermanence
By Erik Augustin Palm
The artist’s Atelier iii studio resists spectacle and asks visitors to slow down and commit to being present.
‘Sunset Sunrise’: Rom-com finds pathos in peak pandemic setting
By Mark Schilling
David Lynch, maker of florid and unnerving films, dies at 78
By J. Hoberman
‘Muromachi Outsiders’: Yo Oizumi commands attention in rebellion tale
By James Hadfield
Japan's most prestigious literary awards go to a trio of contemporary voices
By Alyssa I. Smith

LIFE

"A Very Asian Guide to Japanese Food" is the first edition of the Asia-centric series to focus on rice balls, fermented soybeans and other Japanese staples.
For kids, Japanese food ‘is a doorway to exploration’
By Simon Daly
Begun as a response to Asian-directed violence during the pandemic, the “Very Asian” series of cookbooks-slash-cultural primers turns its gaze toward Japan.
Japan-made games part of a rising tide of indie greatness
By Samantha Low
Let’s make some predictions about what will happen in the year ahead
By Yuko Tamura
Nintendo announces Switch 2, its first new console in eight years
By Sam Byford
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?
By Tomoko Otake

COMMUNITY

Lantoko, a company operated by Taiwan native Ping-Fang Lan, offers drift ice walking tours and other exhilarating experiences in and around Shiretoko National Park.
Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms
By Justin Randall
With adventure tourism on the rise in Hokkaido, a new generation of foreign-born guides is eager to greet travelers.
Namnam reborn: A queer, anarchist space resettles in Tokyo's Koenji
By Aku Owaka-Haigh
Kaz Shiomi: ‘I want to show people … how to color outside the lines’
By Laura Pollacco
There were plenty of hot topics to opine on in 2024
By Gendel Gento, Kimberly Hughes, Ora Margolis, David McElhinney, Zoria Petkoska, Justin Randall, Himari Semans, Patrick St. Michel and Ansel Swindells
A holiday season built on creativity and care
By Baye McNeil

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
Japan looks to learn from the past with bid to build Australian warships
By Gabriel Dominguez
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami frigate, of the class of the same name, is anchored at the MSDF's naval base in the city of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in September 2022.
ENVIRONMENT
Amid rising world hunger, a Japan-inspired group in Kenya is making a big impact
By Joel Tansey
Wawira Njiru, the founder of Food4Education, serves food during the opening of a new kitchen in Mombasa County, Kenya, in 2022. The organization started in 2012 by feeding 25 children out of a single kitchen. Now it feeds nearly half a million every day.
LIFE
From Tokyo to Manhattan, Takuma Watanabe stirs up a stiff drink
By Mike Fu
It's taken Takuma Watanabe little time to establish himself as one of New York's hottest bartenders.
LIFE
For tourists in search of seasonal sights, Yamagata makes its case
By Johan Brooks
For some time away from Tokyo's suffocating urban sameness, Yamagata Prefecture is home to a soothing array of natural abundance.
CULTURE
A slow dive into ‘a moment and an eternity’ with Ryuichi Sakamoto
By James Hadfield
From the mid-2000s onward, Ryuichi Sakamoto created a number of installation works, often in collaboration with Shiro Takatani, of multimedia art collective Dumb Type.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go
By Kazuaki Nagata and Richard Meyer

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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Chinese buyer of Okinawa island to make visit in summer
Yanaha Island in Okinawa Prefecture as seen from a ferry.
JAPAN
Cedar pollen is already in the air in Tokyo
By Tomoko Otake
Climate change and urbanization are believed to have contributed to the earliest ever observation of cedar pollen in Tokyo, on Jan. 8, an expert says.
JAPAN
More bird flu cases found in Japan; 1.44 million birds to be culled
Officials with the agriculture ministry hold a news conference in Nagoya on Friday following an outbreak of avian influenza in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, earlier this month.
JAPAN
Fuji TV loses more advertisers amid inquiry into host’s behavior
By Issei Hazama and Nao Sano
Fuji TV is losing more advertisers following allegations about inappropriate behavior by a celebrity host and questions about its handling of the case.